Tagging-machine.



TAGGING MACHINE. APPLIOATION FILED AUG.15, 1907.

957,420. Patented May 10, 1910.

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F. W. HALL.

TAGGING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 15, 1907.

- 957,420. Patented May 10, 1910.

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F. W. HALL.

TAGGING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 15, 1907.

957,420. Patented May 10, 1910.

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TAGGING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED AUG.15, 1907.

Patented May 10, 1910.

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F. W. HALL.

TAGGING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.15, 1907. 57,429, Patented. May 10, 1910.

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P. W. HALL. TAGGING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 15, 1 907.

I 957,420. Patented May10,1910.

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F. W. HALL.

TAGGING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 15, 1907 Patented May 10, 1910.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 8.

INVENTQR F amia.W Hall BY 7 MATTY ST% PATENT @FFllQE.

FRANCIS W. HALL, OF WICKLIFFE, OHIO.

TAGGING-MACHINE.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS W. HALL, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Wickliffe, in the county ofCuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Tagging-Machines, and do declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates to a tagging machine for laundry uses, and theinvention consists in a machine adapted to automatically make and aflixthe tags or means for marking articles to be laundried, allsubstantially as shown and described and particularly pointed out in theclaims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of themachine shown as mounted upon a frame or legs at a convenient workingelevation for the operator. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the machine,enlarged as compared with Fig. 1 and taken on cross section line e2,Fig. 5. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the machine as a whole.

Fig. 4 is a side View of the crank lever and certain parts immediatelyassociated therewith, as hereinafter more fully described. Fig. 5 is asectional elevation on a line corresponding to ww, Fig. 9, and Fig. 6 isa sectional elevation on line 'vo, Fig. 9. Fig. 7 is a viewcorresponding in the main to Fig. 5, but showing the parts as theyappear when the treadle is operated and the parts are in position toeffect the tagging. Fig. 8 is a vertical cross section corresponding toline :00c, Fig. 5, and Fig. 9 is a cross section in plan line yy, Fig.5. Fig. 10 shows the upper section of a stocking or hose with a tag ortape affixed thereto as contemplated by my invention. Figs. 11 to 14 areperspective views of the respective cutters, dies or formersprogressively arranged and in relations as they appear in the work, ashereinafter fully described.

I am aware that various devices have been employed by laundries fromtime to time for placing identifying marks of one kind and another uponarticles passing through their hands for laundrying, and that suchdevices have comprised different forms of tags and means aiiixed to thearticle temporarily or permanently, and I may especially mention aflexible metallic tag having prongs or the Specification of LettersPatent.

Application filed August 15, 1907.

identifying mark is made with ink.

Patented May it), 1910. Serial No. 388,653.

like at its ends adapted to engage in the goods and carrying a fabricupon which the All such devices I acknowledge and disclaim as they areentirely apart from my invention. My invention rather has to do with anew style of laundry tag or identifying medium, and a new and originalmachine for making and applying the same, and involves a piece of plaintape or its equivalent to which an identifying mark is applied by ink orthe like and which is permanently secured to the article or goods bysmall and practically unnoticeable metallic staples, produced in andaffixed by the machine automatically in its operations. To these endsthe machine is constructed with a suitable body B upon which theoperating parts are mounted and which is supported by a suitable stand,frame or structure A of any preferred form.

The marking or identifying device or medium, familiarly referred toherein as the tag, is the product entirely of this machine, and consistsof two parts, the staples a and the strip or short piece of tape Z)fastened by said staples. These parts or members are producedrespectively from coils of wire carried by reels R and It for the wire,and R for the roll of tape, and both wire and tape are fed to themachine automatically and simultaneously, or substantially so, and thestaples are affixed at practically the same time that the tape issevered to the required length and fastened, as will hereinafter clearlyappear.

Preferably, the machine is manually operated through rocking crank orlever 0, plus the operation through treadle T for controlling therespective jaws or forming and clenching heads and the tape cuttingmechan ism. Said lever or crank C is adapted to be rocked back and forthby hand on its pivot shaft 0, subject to stops 1) engaged by the lowerprojection c of said lever which limit its rocking movements. Now, atleast two distinct offices are performed by this lever, viz: therotation of cam shaft 2, through which plunger members 6 and 8 areactuated, and wire feed rolls W are rotated and which are mounted insuch close working relation that they not only serve to draw the wirefrom the reels but to flatten it more or less and force feed the wirelaterally inward to the cutters and formers through channel E, Figs. 8and 9. Power is applied to cam shaft 2 from crank C by means of sectorS, rigid with said crank and meshing with pinion 8 on shaft 2, and twocams, 3 and 4, respectively, are mounted side by side on said shaft,Fig. 9, and adapted to operate corresponding plungers 6 and 8, as weshall see. On the other line of mechanism operated from crank C andleading to the feed and flattening rolls for the wire, pivot shaft 0 forcrank C carries a ratchetwheel 10, which is engaged by feed pawls 12mounted on crank C and rotated thereby when the said crank is drawnforward, which imparts a corresponding movement to said rolls W throughmeshing bevel gears 13 and 14:, Fig. 2, mounted on shaft 0 and shaft Grespec tively, the latter shaftcarrying one of said rolls and providedwith a gear 9 meshing with gear g on the shaft of the other roll, Fig.3. The wire comes from the reels to said rolls over idler L. It shouldbe understood here that as the tape requires two staples to fasten it,the staple producing and fastening mechanism is duplicate to thisextent, as also clearly appears in Figs. 11 to 1 1, so that two staplesare handled and secured with each single piece of tape. Now, having thestrands of wire delivered under force feed through feed channels E, Fig.9, the said strands being suitably spaced apart on idler L throughchannels E, project, first, between the opposed cutters or blades 15,secured to the opposite cutting members or heads 5 and (3, respectively,head Gbeing loosely engaged with its own slidably connected and camcontacted portion (3 and head 5 being backed by fixed cam 16 to take thethrust. Both parts 5 and 6 are supported from shaft 0 by arms orstandards, 17 and 18, respectively, on which shaft they have sleevedsupport, and the said cutters are fashioned with opposite substantiallyV shaped cutting portions in pairs, Fig. 11, which are adapted to pointboth the latter end of the staple blank that goes before, and the frontend of the staple that follows, thus sharpening two points of twodifferent. staples in each wire at the same time, said blades havingdual cutting places for said wires respectively. In this connection itmay be explained that the outer section or portion 6 of plunger head 6has a jointed and sliding connection with said head and is provided witha lip or shoulder 22, Fig. 6, adapted to be engaged by cam 3 when shaft2 is reversely rotated, thus enabling said cam to lift said part 6 andpass to the rear, and to be positively engaged by said cam in itsforward rotation to actuate said plunger and sever the wire.Simultaneously with this operation, or practically so, staple formingplunger 8 is pressed orward by cam t and the wire blanks are caughtbetween parts 7 and 8 against the faces of dual projections 24 onsubstantially H shaped forming member 25 slidably engaged in the frontportion of head 7. Said member 25 is backed by a spring 26 in head 7which keeps said member normally in advanced position ready to receivethe wire blanks which, after being pressed against faces 2 1 as aninitial action after severing, are forced the next instant into grooves27 on the inner sides of member 25 and bent to shape by tongue 28 ofplunger 8. The said plunger 8 also has a pivotally related portion 8,with a shoulder 29 adapted to be engaged by cam 4 in both its reverseand forward movements, while head 7 is arranged and supported in suchway as to be bodily movable into a vertical position over anvil I) andthere participate in the fixing and clenching operation of the staplesupon the tape. Prior to this, however, and when plunger tongue 28 isthrust forward into staple former 25, the said former is sustainedagainst depression by means of a stop 30, which stands behind lateralprojection 31 on said former, Figs. 5 and 9 and forms a fixed backingtherefor. Then as head 7 and former member 25 are bodily given a quarterturn on pivot 39 from initial position to final position, Fig. 7, saidhead escapes stop 30 and is free to be pressed back against spring 26 togive tongue 34 of head 7 clearance to drive the staples down and throughthe tape and garment and to cause them to be clenched on anvil D, Fig.1%. Obviously, the staples are tight enough in former 25 to transfertherewith to final position, Fig. 13, just before clenching occurs, andwhile the several movements must be separately described to beunderstood it will also be understood that they follow each in suchclose sequence that they are scarcely separable in point of time,particularly in all actions proceeding from the quick forward andbackward movements of rocking crank C, through which the preparatorywork is accomplished.

Assuming now that the staples have been formed and are resting in head7, and operations through crank C are completed for the time, the saidhead is rotated from hori zontal position, Fig. 5, to verticaldescending and clenching position, Figs. 7 and 11, through depression oftreadle T as the initial actuating movement. This latter opera.- tion asa whole involves the bringing together of head 7 and anvil D, as in Fig.1 1, and to these ends the said anvil is provided with a carrying beamH, which is pivoted upon cross shaft or rod J approximately near itsmiddle and connected at its opposite end by a strong spring h withtreadle operated arm N, to which the treadle is en gaged by connectinglink or rod 33. Said arm N is pivoted at one end on cross rod M at therear of the machine, and springs 35, Figs. 7 and 9, connectthe free endof said arm N with lever O at the top of the machine. This leverperforms the important function of changing the operating positions offormer head 7 from its horizontal to its vertical positions and backagain as hereinbefore described, and to this end said lever is pivotedat its outer extremity on rod 36 and connected by link 37 at its otherend with forming head 7 in such relation to the pivot or turning point39 of said head as will give it the desired quarter rotation in themaximum up and down movement of said lever O. In this movement of head 7it not only swings on pivot shaft 39, Figs. 5 and 9, but said pivotshaft is engaged at its ends in a vertically slidable frame 40 which hasside bars and a top cross bar and is supported in side channels in mainframe or body B of the machine. Said main frame also has curved orflanged edges 42 engaged by rollers 43 on head 7, and which flanges areconcentric with pivot 89. Then being turned to vertical position, head 7is subject to a downward thrust by lever O. Retracting spring as, Fig.5, is engaged with the upper end of slide frame 10 to draw it up aftereach action, and retracting spring 45 assists in lifting head 7 upwardto be swung to horizontal position again.

Now, reverting to the operating connections to or with treadle T, itwill be seen that when said treadle is depressed anvil D will be raisedthrough beam H and former head 7 rotated a quarter turn and loweredthrough lever O as already described, and the power exerted through saidtreadle and mechanism will bring the parts into the final relationsshown in Figs. 7 and 14: wherein the tape is severed to the desiredlength and the staples are driven down and clenched thereon and inengagement with the garment or article, as shown in the finished exhibitFig. 10. As to the matter of the tape, a feed channel 50 is providedtherefor from roll on reel R, at the lower end of which channel there isa toothed feed wheel 51 adapted to draw the tape forward and to feed italong to the tape cutters 52 and 53. Said cutters are arranged to have ashearing cut, Fig. 2, and the lower cutter is operatively connected withanvil beam H by a bellcrank lever 54, which is operatively united withlower cutter blade 52 by link 55, and held in working relation by spring56.

The tape-feedwheel, 51, is rotated intermittently and at fixed intervalsthe desired distance by a line of mechanism proceeding initially fromcrank lever C, and comprises a shaft carrying said feed wheel 51 onwhich is mounted a pinion 57, meshed by gear 58, and arm 59 having anactuating pawl for the ratchet connected with gear 58, is connected bylink 60 with lever C. Suitable means are associated with these parts tohold them in rotated or adjusted positions, and

the exact means shown, or their equivalent, may be used for rotating andcontrolling said feed wheel 51. In fact not only this particular line ofsubordinate mechanism may be varied or changed in its details withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention, if substantially the samefunction be performed, but this is true also as to all the other partsof the machine, except, possibly, as to a few essential or mainparticulars, such as the shape of the formers and the like, which haveto do with making and handling certain definitely formed products.

Returning now to omitted details, cam 16, Fig. 6, for taking up possiblewear in the cutter 011 cutter head 5, is designed to be fixed in anyadjustment and may be depressed for closer work by set screw 62. In thesame view a spring 63 is shown for holding the cam engaged portion orpart 6 of cutter head 6 normally down in working relation, and thisrelation is disturbed only when cam 3 is rotated reversely by a rearwardthrow of crank lever C, when the lip of said cam comes beneath the lipor shoulder of said part 6, relatively as seen in Fig. 5, and raisessaid part temporarily to pass over the same to positive acting position.A like spring 6 1, for a like purpose, bears on the free section 8 ofplunger head 8, and said head 8 is supported from shaft 2 by arm 66.Furthermore, spring 68 between arm 66 and the main frame draws head 8normally back in working relation with cam a, Fig. 5.

The endless wires w from reels R pass through short guides 70 onto idlerL, and thence said wires pass between feed and flattening rolls IV,suitable tension being maintained in the wire by or through said reels.

The former head 7 is shown as made in two parts rigidly fixed together,Fig. 12, and the forward or advance part is recessed and fashioned toreceive the former member proper, 25, therein in a yielding relationagainst spring 26, as hereinbefore described, but said head might beunitary if preferred.

My invention herein is especially described as a laundry taggingmachine, but it will be understood that it is not neces sarily limitedto laundry uses, and that it may be used wherever it can beadvantageously employed for applying or attaching tags to garments orother articles entirely apart from a laundry.

l Vhat I claim is 1. In a tagging machine, a set of staple formerscomprising a plunger having a loosely connected outer portion providedwith a shoulder on its edge, a shaft adapted to be reversely rotatedwithin limits and a cam thereon adapt-ed to pass said shoulder on itsreverse movement and to bear against the same in its actuating movement.

2. In a tagging machine, a set of wire eutters and a set of formers toconvert the wire into staples, said cutters and formers each mounted onrock arms and having a plunger member and each plunger member having avertically spring pressed movable shouldered outer portion, and camsadapted to operatively engage said outer portions, and means to providea limited rock movement to said cams.

3. In a tagging machine, a set of staple formers comprising a plungerhaving a loosely connected outer portion provided with a shoulder on itsedge, a shaft adapted to be reversely rotated within limits and a camthereon adapted to pass said shoulder on its reverse movement and tobear against the same in its actuating movement, gear and crankmechanism to actuate said shaft, and adjustable stops to fix the limitof rotation of said mechanism and shaft.

at. In a tagging machine, a pair of rolls arranged to feed dual strandsof wire to the machine and guide channels for the wires, in combinationwith cutters mounted on rock arms to sever the wires into lengths, apair of forming members mounted on rock arms at the side of said cuttersto convert the wires into staples, separate cams to act successivelyupon said cutting and forming members, and an anvil, one of said formingmembers constructed to deliver said staples to the anvil and clench themthereon.

I11 a tagging machine, the combination of a pair of feed rolls for dualstrands of wire, a shaft and gears connecting said shaft and rolls toactuate the rolls, a set of cams fixed on said shaftand acrank to rockthe same, and a pair of wire cutters and a pair of staple formerspivotally mounted to rock side by side and having each a slidable memberadapted to be successively engaged by said cams upon reverse movementsthereof.

(5. In a tagging machine, a device to form a plurality of staples fromwire comprising a forming and carrying head for the staples adapted toswing downward on a pivot, a slidable carrier for said head, separatesprings for each of said parts adapted to raise each to their respectivepositions of rest, a device upon which the said staples are adapted tobe clenched and flexible means to bring said device and said stapleforming and carrying head operatively together.

7. In a tagging machine adapted to secure tags by wire staples, a pairof staple forming members mounted to rotate within limits, incombination with a pivoted anvil member and spring connected means tobring said parts into operating relations together, one of said stapleforming members carrying said staples and constructed to force thestaples out in clenching position on said anvil member.

8. In a tagging machine, a staple forming head pivoted to rotate aquarter turn and an anvil mounted on a rock member beneath said head, incombination with means to move said head and anvil toward and from eachother successively and' sin1ultaneously and comprising a pivoted arm 0for said head, a treadle and a pivoted treadle arm connected therewithand spring connections linking said arms together.

9. In a tagging machine, a pivoted staple forming head mounted to slidein vertical channels, and a pivotally supported anvil beneath said head,in combination with a pivoted lever and means yieldingly connectedtherewith and with said head and anvil respectively to move said partstoward and from each other alternately and under cushioning control.

10. In a tagging machine, a slidable staple forming head and. an anvilbeneath the same, a pivoted operating arm linked to said head and apivoted supporting member for said anvil, and treadle means havingyielding spring connections between the treadle and said pivoted arm andmember.

11. In a tagging machine, a wire staple forming head pivotally supportedto make a quarter turn and provided with a central tongue and adepressible spring pressed member projecting in advance of said tongueand constructed to form and support a plurality of staples, said memberhaving a side projection adapted to engage a fixed part of the machineand provide a backing therefor during staple forming operations.

12. In a tagging machine, a forming head for staples having a springpressed member provided with forward projections grooved oppositely ontheir inner sides and adapted to shape and hold the staples, incombination with a rock arm having a plunger member pivoted to rockthereon, and a cam to force said plunger forward against said head.

13. In a tagging machine, a staple forming head having both a pivotaland slidable mounting and provided with an end tongue and a depressiblefront member therein provided with dual grooved projections arranged onopposite sides of said tongue, in combination with a rocking plungeradapted to enter between said projections, and a cam to rock saidplunger.

14. In a tagging machine, a staple forming head having a spring pressedforming member slidably mounted therein, in combination with a rock armhaving a plunger mounted to rock within limits thereon and having atongue adapted to enter said mem ber and a fixed backing for both saidhead and its forming member adapted to take the thrusts.

15. In a tagging machine, a forming head for wire staples having adepressible forming portion, in combination with a plunger mounted upona rock arm and adapted to enter said head and having a verticallyslidable rear portion provided with a shoulder, and an actuating camadapted to engage said shoulder to lift said rear portion when rotatedin one direction and to rock said arm when rotated in the otherdirection.

16. In a tagging machine, a main frame, a forming head slidably mountedin said frame and having a pivot on which it is adapted to describe aquarter turn, guide rollers mounted on said head and adapted to bearagainst both curved and straight guide portions on said main frame, anoperating lever to depress said head, and treadle mechanism yieldinglyconnected with said lever, in combination with an anvil and pivotedcarrying beam therefor having yielding connections with said treadlemechanism.

17. In a taggingmachine,a slidable frame and a forming head having apivot connection therewith on which it has a quarter turn, incombination with a pivoted operating lever linked to said head and liftsprings connected with said parts, and treadle means for said operatinglever having a spring connection to provide a yielding pull therefor.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of twowitnesses.

FRANCIS WV. HALL.

Witnesses:

E. M. FISHER, F. C. MUSSUN.

